Washing-machine



(No Model.) I

D. C. JORDAN. WASHING MACHINE No. 460,376. Patented Sept. 29, 1891r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID C. JORDAN, OF DAVID CITY, NEBRASKA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,376, dated September 29, 1891. Application tiled February 18, 1891. Serial No. 381,875. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, DAVID C. JORDAN, of David City, in the county of Butler and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vashing-lliachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to clothes-washing machines of that class known as pounders.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the pounder may be operated in any part of the tub, and means for supporting the pounder when not in use in such Vposition that it will drip into the tub.

To this end the invention consists of the specific details of construction tending to enhance the successful operation of, and certain auxiliaries preferably used in connection with, a machine of this character, all as hereinafter more fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying1 drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the washingmachine complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the pounder. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective detail of the support and yoke.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

the letter T designates a tub; S', a support at one side thereof; L, an operatinglever pivoted at one end in said support, and P a pounder pivoted to said lever and adapted to press clothes being washed against the bottom of the tub, all as is common and well known in devices of this character. Coming now to the present invention, the tub T, which is preferably of galvanized iron and may be round, square, or of other shape, although I do not limit myself to that material or to any particular shape, hasastrip of wood IV bolted upon its outer face near its upper edge, whereby the thickness of the side of the tub at that point is rendered equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the coil t. Around the upper edge of the -metallic body of the tub this thickened portion of the tub is adapted to be clamped by the feet of a Wringer, as will be readily understood.

The support S comprises a rnetal strap M, bolted to the body of the tongue, and a long spring S, connected at its lower end to the tub, near the bottom thereof, and secured near its upper end to the strap M. This spring has its upper end extended beyond the strap M, as shown. Within avertical hole made through the strap M is pivotally mountedthe shank of a yoke Y, and a nut y upon the lower extremity thereof bears against the lower face of a block ZJ, which is secured to the under side of the center of the strap M, for supporting the yoke, and through which block the lower end of the yoke also passes. The operating-lever L is pivoted upon a transverse bolt Z in the upper end of the yoke, and the lever L will rest upon the upper end of the spring when thrown backward foi-supporting the said lever. i

A rod R, having a bifurcated upper end provided with transverse holes, supports the pounder P. Through said -holes is passed a bolt r, whereby the pounder-supporting rod R is pivoted to the operating-lever L and between the upper extremes, or, rather, in the outer bifurcated end of the rod R, is rigidly `mounted a wooden knob K, for a purpose to appear hereinafter. The pounder P, which I prefer to use, is connected to this rod, and has'a conicallyshaped body provided with the tubes U. When I employ these-tubes, I preferably locate a spiral spring G within them and connect to the upper ends of said springs perforated caps C, and to the lower ends thereof the valves V. The use of the cap and valve connected by a spring is Well known in washing-machine pounders, and I therefore lay no claim thereto, and the operation and utility of this construction will be well understood by a person skilled in the art.

The face of my pounder is constructed in the following improved manner: The lower end of the conical body is of course made cup-shaped and provided with a iiat bottom p, through which the valves V open at each side. Around these valves are a number of partitions A, and in the upper edge of each of the partitions is formed notches a, Whereby the compartments below the valves communicate at the bottom of the cup-shaped face of the pounder with the balance of the annular space. This specific construction of pounder-face is made without respect to the manner in which the valve V is controlled IOOv and does not necessitate the employmentof the tubes U, springs G, nor perforated caps C, as above described, although I prefer to employ them.

In operation the suds and clothes are placed in the tub and the pounder brought down upon them to effect the Washing in a manner which will be well understood. The face of the pounder is moved within the tub on a line parallel with the operating-leverby grasping a knob K and moving it in the proper direction, and said face can also be moved at right angles to this direction by moving the free end of the lever, the inn-er end of the latter turning the yoke Y in its pivotal seat in a manner which will be well understood. This specific construction therefore permits the pounder to be brought to any position in the tub without the necessity of wetting the hands by grasping any part of the device which is submerged, or by even grasping any part of the device which is of metal and therefore likely to be hot. After the washing has been completed andl it is desired to remove the clothes from the tub, the operating-lever and the pounder are turned back on the pivot l to the position shown in Fig. l. tion the lever L rests against the upper end of the spring S,the pounderP turns upon the supporting-bolt r of its rod R, and the open face of the pounder is supported directly above the tub T, the line of the lower side of the conical pounder when in this position In this posi-` being inclined, so that any water or suds which may have accumulated within the face of the pounder and which may adhere thereto when the latter is raised, will run out of such face at the lower side of the pounder in this position and drip directly into the tub.

With the above construction of parts a Washing-machine is produced wherein the pounder may be brought to any desired position within the tub and then vertically reciprocated to wash the clothes. Moreover, when the pounder is in a raised position and the mouth of the tub is free for the insertion or removal of clothes, the drippings from the pounder will 'fall into the tub and will not wet the operators clothing-or soil the fioor.

Having thus described my invention, I c1aim- In a washing-machine, a support, a spring connected at its lower end to the tub and at its upper end to the support, the upper end of the spring projecting above the said support, a yoke journaled in the support inside of the spring, and a lever pivoted in the yoke below the upper end of the spring, the parts combined substantially as shown and described.

In testimonywhereof I affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID C. JORDAN. Witnesses:

GEORGE SLANECKER,

ano. OsrERHoUT. 

